Beschreibung:

Stock certificate for one share in "The Colored Colonization Company," 10.5 x 7 in. San Diego: 1893. Partially-printed document certifies that "Mrs. E. L. Clay" owns one share of the capital stock. Signed by company representatives, Secretary James M. Fowler and President E. D. Wilson and embossed with company seal. Three illustrated agricultural vignettes are positioned beneath text reading, "Real Estate, 100,000 Acres in Sonora, Mexico." Fine print below reads, in part, "The holder of this certificate shall have the right...to a deed to land...at the rate of $1.00 per acre..." James Fowler was a Black entrepreneur from San Diego who founded the Colored Colonization Company in 1893. He believed in the future of Mexico as an alternative for Blacks who suffered under Jim Crow laws in the United States. He aggressively promoted his venture boasting of the fertility of Mexico’s soil, the rich fishing opportunities and the presence of vast amounts of minerals. An ad for the company featured in the May 19, 1894 issue of The Freeman calls for "every man and woman of the Afro-American race to better their condition by joining the Colored Colonization Company. who purpose to colonize in Mexico on the Colorado River and the Gulf of California...Shares $1 each, each share a guarantee for one acre of land in the garden spot of America. Now is your time; take hold, as no such offer has ever been made to our people before and may never be again, and secure for yourselves and children homes which will be fortunes for the coming years." Condition: Certificate with light surface soil, light spotting, creasing, and light wear to edges and corners.